Translated from www.xinhuanews.net
In the past thirty years, ecology on Tibetan Plateau has been severely devastated, with 4420.78 km2 decrease in glacier coverage, to the effect that Tibetan glaciers have been decreasing at a pace of 147.36 km2 per year. A survey done by the Bureau of Investigation and Exploration of Tibetan Autonomous Region and National Bureau of Land Investigation recently showed that in the past three decades, Tibetan glaciers have decreased by 9.05% so far.
Scientists owed the rapid shrink of glaciers to both natural and human factors. Due to the trend of global climate toward dry and hot weather and the differential uplift and descent of the plateau, the micro-climate on the plateau was featured by less perspiration, which resulted in ecological devastation there. Besides, such human activities as overly farming, popular tourism and several constructions also contributed to the devastation.